Our mission is simple: to provide the best products and service to our customers at the lowest prices possible. We take great pride in our company, our commitment to customer service and in the products we sell. Our online store is designed to provide you with a safe and secure environment to browse our product catalog.

The Bead Bug operates as a Limited Liabiilty Company. Our products are individually hand made in Southern Africa. The materials we use are of the finest quality. Our policies are based on the principles of Fair Trade. All artisans are paid directly, and in cash, for the products they produce.  
In excess of 20% of the proceeds of sales from our website are returned to South Africa to support projects for children with Aids and/or related illnesses as well as projects educating children

Our Story

The Bead Bug LLC, was established in October 2007 to help Thulisele Gamede sell more of her beads. Her illness spurred our efforts. Her death compelled us to continue. Presently, with the help of family in South Africa and with a strong desire to help a community in need, we support  a growing group of  artisans on the Southern Coast and more recently in Johannesburg. To begin with, we supported a group of South African women who had known Thuli and had worked with her. As the sale of these wonderful crafts gained momentum, we were able to widen our artisan base and increase our variety of products. Our artisans are both South African and Zimbabwean and they create these superior quality products to sustain an income for themselves and their extended families. With little or no education, the chances of finding alternative employment are limited. Our artisans rely on the sale of their crafts to earn a living. They are motivated to provide their children with a better future then their own. As education is not free in South Africa, earning a continuous wage is imperative . In South Africa, their primary market is a tourism industry which is affected by an abundance of crime and political instability. Providing access to the International Trade Market increases their opportunities  for a sustainable future.